Mom, You Know We're in Hell, Right? A Feb Disneyland/LA TR. Updated 8/7 x 4 The End!

The submarines look like fun. I have always wanted to try that ride out.

What did you think of the movable guns on Buzz? I have always thought if they update the WDW one they should add the movable guns to that one.

Awesome pictures with the partners statue and castle in the background!
 
I agree, the Nemo subs are a one and done for me as well. I'm sorry you were disappointed in the Hyperspace layover of Space Mountain!

Love the group pics in front of the castle!

Your lunches all look so good. Sounds like you guys enjoyed your time in Adventureland so far!
 
I didn’t know any of the secrets of the DL game and scored a dismal 29,900. Mom even beat me with 50,600.

I bet Mo will be happy to read that!!! No way to "cheat" :)


I’m all for any place that has tater tots as a side.

I must agree!! That's the part I was eyeing in every one of those pictures from lunch!

Love your family pictures in front of the castle. It still amazes me how short Sleeping Beauty castle is compared to Cinderella!!
 
We were at Disneyland on opening day of the Nemo submarines. We walked very fast to the line at rope drop and ended up waiting about 60 minutes. The line was over 3 hrs when we were done. All I can remember is that we had a screaming child on the submarine. My youngest was 3. So, when the CM tried to calm the screaming child by offering it candy, my Chelsea said loudly, "Why is that boy getting candy for being bad?" It was not a good experience and we have never boarded one again. We much prefer the Nemo ride at WDW. Don't have to be crammed in to a tight space.

The first time I rode Hyperspace, I was near the back. The timing of projections was off and I couldn't figure out why it was Star Wars. The kids told me the projections they saw. Next time, I was front row and could see the projections finally, but I am glad it is going back to the regular Space Mountain.

Food looks good. I have never done a table service at Disneyland or California Adventure. When I was growing up, my parents would never take us to one, so that was always what I knew. So, the kids know that DLR not to expect table service. That is one of the reasons they enjoy going to WDW. I do table service at WDW.

Looking forward to reading more.
 


I had no idea IASW in Disneyland had movie characters! Really cool. I saw your FB pictures of your Williamsburg trip, looks like you had fun. I am so ready to travel again. Brian "grounded" me this semester while I took College Algebra, LOL! We have a few small trips planned for the summer before our big beach vacay in October. So ready to have some fun again!!!
 
The submarines look like fun. I have always wanted to try that ride out.

What did you think of the movable guns on Buzz? I have always thought if they update the WDW one they should add the movable guns to that one.

Awesome pictures with the partners statue and castle in the background!

I was really mixed with the submarines. I loved the outdoor parts but the segment inside the cave was hard to see out the window. Plus those windows were not designed for tall people and my neck was killing me by the time we got out.

I really liked the movable guns but I was horrible at the DL version for some reason. I'm not sure if it was the different guns or if mine wasn't working well. I couldn't seem to hit anything.


I agree, the Nemo subs are a one and done for me as well. I'm sorry you were disappointed in the Hyperspace layover of Space Mountain!

Love the group pics in front of the castle!

Your lunches all look so good. Sounds like you guys enjoyed your time in Adventureland so far!

I just think I was expecting a lot more on Hyperspace. I really liked the ride itself.

We did have a great time that whole day.


I bet Mo will be happy to read that!!! No way to "cheat" :)

I must agree!! That's the part I was eyeing in every one of those pictures from lunch!

Love your family pictures in front of the castle. It still amazes me how short Sleeping Beauty castle is compared to Cinderella!!

Yep, no cheating for me. And being beaten by my Mom who probably hasn't played a video game in her life was a bit humiliating. :rotfl:

Those Tater tots were definitely yummy!

Sleeping Beauty's castle was definitely tiny compared to Cinderella's. But I thought it was very cute.


We were at Disneyland on opening day of the Nemo submarines. We walked very fast to the line at rope drop and ended up waiting about 60 minutes. The line was over 3 hrs when we were done. All I can remember is that we had a screaming child on the submarine. My youngest was 3. So, when the CM tried to calm the screaming child by offering it candy, my Chelsea said loudly, "Why is that boy getting candy for being bad?" It was not a good experience and we have never boarded one again. We much prefer the Nemo ride at WDW. Don't have to be crammed in to a tight space.

The first time I rode Hyperspace, I was near the back. The timing of projections was off and I couldn't figure out why it was Star Wars. The kids told me the projections they saw. Next time, I was front row and could see the projections finally, but I am glad it is going back to the regular Space Mountain.

Food looks good. I have never done a table service at Disneyland or California Adventure. When I was growing up, my parents would never take us to one, so that was always what I knew. So, the kids know that DLR not to expect table service. That is one of the reasons they enjoy going to WDW. I do table service at WDW.

Looking forward to reading more.

Yeah, I don't think we will ride those subs again anytime soon. I'm really glad we didn't wait an hour for them!

Even though I love Star Wars I think I would have preferred the regular version.

We did not plan on doing table service other than one meal the last day. But we were all getting a little hangry at that point and didn't want to go elsewhere once we found out it had changed to table service.


Going to Disneyland for the first time in September! Loving your TR!!

Thanks! I hope you have a wonderful time! Hopefully I can finish this off before September but with the slow pace I've been going, who knows. :rotfl2:

I had no idea IASW in Disneyland had movie characters! Really cool. I saw your FB pictures of your Williamsburg trip, looks like you had fun. I am so ready to travel again. Brian "grounded" me this semester while I took College Algebra, LOL! We have a few small trips planned for the summer before our big beach vacay in October. So ready to have some fun again!!!

I'm pretty sure I discovered the movie characters in IASW on a TR here on the DIS or I would not have known about them.

We did have a great time in Williamsburg. Funny that he grounded you but grades have to come first, right?
 


Off to Even More Adventures! Part 1

Next on our list of adventures to try out was one of my favorites, The Tiki Room! Mom and John were thinking about a Dole Whip but they were still full from lunch and the line was really long. The next show was starting very soon so I only got a few pictures of the outside before heading in.






The show was almost the same as the WDW one but did contain a sing-a-long part that was cut from the WDW version when it went back to the original after the Under New Management fiasco.















Our Indiana Jones FP was ready when we exited the Tiki Room so that was next on the agenda. I only took one picture the whole time in line and it was mainly to remind me that’s what we did next.



Riveting, I know.

Indiana Jones has the same track system as Dinosaur. So basically it’s a dark, bumpy ride through the Indiana Jones movies but instead of Dinosaurs jumping out at you, its rats and bats and snakes and runaway boulders. The ride was super fun! I think Dinosaur still has a slight edge in my book only because it’s a favorite but we all really loved Indiana Jones. So much so that as soon as we got off, Jocelyn asked if we could get another FP. I had planned on getting a FP for Big Thunder Mountain next but I checked the wait time for it and it was only ½ hour so I went ahead and grabbed another set of FP for Indiana Jones. There were for pretty far out, like 6 pm or something but we would just come back.

Before heading to Big Thunder though, everyone was ready for a snack so we backtracked to the Dole Whip stand which had zero line. From everything I’ve read, this was an extreme anomaly. Mom got one of these beauties all to herself while John and Jocelyn got one to share.




Me, I’m one of those weirdos who does not care for Dole Whips but I found an ice cream cart right around the corner and got my favorite Mickey ice cream sandwich.



We munched on our treats as we headed towards the line for Big Thunder. The wait time really was about a ½ hour so I took some line photos to pass the time.















Continued in Next Post
 
Off to Even More Adventures! Part 2

We all enjoyed the coaster and I know it was somewhat different than the WDW version but at this point I couldn’t tell you exactly how.

We walked a little past BTMR and checked out the design concept for Star Wars land.




We passed the Mark Twain Riverboat and even though it wasn’t sailing at the moment you could go on board and take a look around. John was interested in doing this but I was more interested in the rare character who was meeting at that moment with no line, Dr. Facilier.

He was a bit above the whole process and kind of snooty but then again he is a villain! I was just excited to get a picture with a new character. There was no Photopass photographer out but Mom was happy to take one for me.




He left shortly after but then a Photopass Photographer did show up. We asked if he would take our picture and he said sure. He was actually waiting for Tiana to show up but was happy to snap a few of us while he waited. No idea why I had such a head tilt going on in these photos.







John got kind of excited when he heard that Tiana was coming because she’s his favorite princess. He was a little hesitant about meeting her but I said we should stay. There was one other family waiting for her so we lined up behind them. When it was our turn, we made John go up first. I know they talked about food but can’t remember the specifics. I was cracking up, seeing John turn several shades of red.





Jocelyn joined them for a picture.



And then of course I had to get one with her. Mom chose to hang back and just watch.



After that fun meet and greet, we moved on to New Orleans Square where I mourned for a minute at the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean which was closed for refurbishment while we were there. Then we headed back into the small twisting lanes that make up the area.







We browsed quickly through some of the stores there and then headed to get in line for the Haunted Mansion.







There was quite a bit of a line as you can see by this next picture.



The DL HM is very similar to the WDW one except it’s a bit shorter. There is no library or the room with lots of staircases at the beginning. And of course there is the Hat Box Ghost at DL that was added back in to the ride in 2015. It was really neat seeing him right past the attic. I was able to get a few pictures during the ride but unfortunately not one of the Hatbox Ghost.







After HM, we discussed walking down into Critter Country but there were only two rides, Splash Mountain and Winnie the Pooh. No one in my family wanted to ride either so we skipped that area. I probably would have caught Winnie the Pooh if I had been by myself but definitely not Splash, it was too cold that day. Instead, we headed back to Adventureland where John and Jocelyn decided to climb the Tarzan Tree while Mom and I waited on the ground. My feet and legs were hurting a bit and climbing lots of steps did not appeal to me at the moment. Then we used our second FP for Indiana Jones and loved it just as much the second time around. It was well worth the 2nd FP even though it meant waiting in line for BTMR.

Up Next: We Go Back to the Very Beginning
 
I am going to be honest and say I don't think I have ever done the Enchanted tiki room. I probably should at least once.

Interesting that you gave the edge to Dinosaur. Everyone I have ever seen compare the two says Indiana Jones is the clear winner. I really like Dinosaur so I would be excited to try Indiana Jones.

The explosion projections are the main differences between the BTMRR in WDW and DL.

Love all your photos on the Mark Twain!
 
I am going to be honest and say I don't think I have ever done the Enchanted tiki room. I probably should at least once.

Interesting that you gave the edge to Dinosaur. Everyone I have ever seen compare the two says Indiana Jones is the clear winner. I really like Dinosaur so I would be excited to try Indiana Jones.

The explosion projections are the main differences between the BTMRR in WDW and DL.

Love all your photos on the Mark Twain!

You need to do the Tiki Room at least once! Even if you hate it, it's a Walt original and who knows how long it will be around.

I'm one of those strange ones that loves Dinosaur and can ride it over and over. That's probably why I give it a slight ride although I think both rides are awesome.

OK, not sure I even noticed the explosion projections but you are going fast.
:rotfl2:

What a fun afternoon! Love the pics with Dr. Facilier and Tiana! And the one of the 4 of you on the Riverboat!

Thanks, we got some nice ones that afternoon.
 
We Go Back to the Very Beginning Part 1

There was one attraction at Disneyland that was an absolute must do for John. He had been bugging me all day about it and I kept telling him to be patient, it was in the schedule. It was finally time so we headed down Main Street, past the hordes of blankets holding parade and fireworks spots, to this.




If you recall, the Hall of Presidents is John’s favorite WDW attraction so seeing the precursor to it, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, was something he was really looking forward to.

There was a bit of a wait till the next show but the lobby was filled with Disneyland memorabilia to check out. First up was one of the benches from Griffith Park that Walt used to sit on while watching his daughter’s on the merry-go-round. It was during these times that he came up for the idea for Disneyland.






I was particularly fascinated by this large map of the original Disneyland.







Soon it was time to head into the theater.



There was a short film first talking about Lincoln’s life and then the screen lifted to reveal the man himself, or rather his animatronic.







I did like the attraction although I found myself nodding off a few times in the comfy theater. When we exited, we realized that it had rained again when we were in there. It must have been a pretty hard rain because there were puddles and all the blankets along Main Street were soaked. I did read recently that they stopped allowing people to hold spots with blankets.

John was super happy after seeing Mr. Lincoln so I decided to keep him that way and headed back to TL to ride the Monorail.




The Tomorrowland Speedway was closed due to the rain but we could see the cars from the ramp to the Monorail. I liked this car design better than the WDW ones.



We could also see the Nemo subs from up there.



There was a Monorail at the station but we ended up just missing it and waiting for the next one.







Here comes our ride.



I didn’t take any pictures from the ride itself since it was dark but it was fun seeing some of the park from that perspective and also our hotel as we zoomed by.

Next we gave Launch Bay another try. I was a bit disappointed with it, there were a lot fewer displays than the WDW version and I only took a few pictures.








But then I noticed that there was no line at all for the Darth Vader Chase Visa Meet and Greet. So I whipped out my card and dragged the other three in. This meet and greet turned out to be so funny. Darth immediately honed in on Mom who probably knows nothing about Star Wars at all. He was totally in her face the whole time and she was just so confused. Check out this picture.



Eventually he left her alone and we posed for a group picture.



We said goodbye to Tomorrowland after that and I snapped one more picture as we exited.



At this point we were all getting a bit on the hangry side. I really did not have any plans for dinner so we wandered around a bit. Jocelyn wanted to go to Hungry Bear in Critter Country and I was fine with that. John didn’t like that idea and somehow we ended up at The Golden Horseshoe which had an extremely limited menu. I think by the time we ended up there, we were just ready to eat where ever.



Continued in Next Post
 
We Go Back to the Very Beginning Part 2

I of course got the Chicken Tenders which were pretty much the same as WDW ones.




I’m pretty sure someone got the Fish and Chips but I did not get a picture. Overall, not the best meal but it filled us up and dissipated the hangriness (I think I just made up a new word there). While we ate, we talked a bit about what to do for the rest of the night. Everyone was getting pretty tired at that point and we had really gotten almost everything done we wanted to. The only area we did not visit was Mickey’s Toontown and it had already closed for the night. We decided we would catch the fireworks then head out.

It was only about 15 minutes before the show when we got to Main Street. Instead of fighting through the crowds to find a spot nearer the castle, I positioned us near the Coca Cola Refreshment Corner. This was our view.






Definitely not the best view as there were projections on the castle that were hard to see. Plus it was a pretty bad spot for pictures. My camera kept focusing on the trees rather than the castle and fireworks. Here’s a few shots that didn’t turn out too badly.































Not my best work that’s for sure. We did enjoy the show, it definitely wasn’t Wishes but it was fun to see. After the show we ducked into the stores right there so Jocelyn could look for a frame. While she was looking, I was fooling around on the DL app and I noticed that Pluto was due to come out near the Lincoln theater any minute. I told Mom I would meet them there and headed in that direction.

So happy to see my main dog!




The rest of the gang met up with me and we headed back across the street to our hotel. Here’s a picture I took of it on the way. The lights on the front changed color and were very pretty.



Here’s the pins I traded for that day along with a pressed penny I made.



A close up of the penny. I think John spotted this one for me.



And finally, my Fitbit Stats for the day.



Up Next: The Walt Tour
 
Sounds like a nice evening! We never got to do the monorail, which I regret a little!

Great pics with Darth Vader & Pluto!
 
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
I love this better than the Hall of Presidents. I'm biased, though since I grew up going to DL! So much fun seeing all your photos and hearing about your trip. I really need to make plans to visit. It's been 34 years :sad2: since I've been there!
 
He had been bugging me all day about it and I kept telling him to be patient, it was in the schedule.

I hate when people question "THE PLAN!"

First up was one of the benches from Griffith Park that Walt used to sit on while watching his daughter’s on the merry-go-round.

Awwwwww, that is awesome!! I didn't know that was there.


I liked this car design better than the WDW ones.

Looks much cuter :) Jimmy only just discovered the Tomorrowland Speedway on our last trip, but I could definitely see it being time to update something over there at WDW.


Up Next: The Walt Tour

I CAN'T WAIT for this part!!
 
Sounds like a nice evening! We never got to do the monorail, which I regret a little!

Great pics with Darth Vader & Pluto!

We really did have a great day despite the rain. I don't think John would have let us skip the Monorail. He was bugging me about that and the Lincoln one all day.

I love this better than the Hall of Presidents. I'm biased, though since I grew up going to DL! So much fun seeing all your photos and hearing about your trip. I really need to make plans to visit. It's been 34 years :sad2: since I've been there!

I like the HOP until it gets to the part where they introduce all of the Presidents. I get bored at that part. Lincoln in DL was just the right length for me. Yes, you need to get back, I'm sure a lot has changed in those years.

Sounds like a great night! Love the Vader photo!

I really enjoyed the Vader meet but I'm not sure what the rest thought especially Mom. He can be scary when he's in your face like that.

I hate when people question "THE PLAN!"

Awwwwww, that is awesome!! I didn't know that was there.

Looks much cuter :) Jimmy only just discovered the Tomorrowland Speedway on our last trip, but I could definitely see it being time to update something over there at WDW.

I CAN'T WAIT for this part!!

Yep, you asked me to make a plan and told me what you wanted to do, just shut up and trust me! :rotfl:

We got to see another one of the benches later on too.

I do think it's time to update the TL Speedway. It's fun to ride but I really hate the gasoline smell. Even if they just went to electric cars it would be better!

First part of the tour coming right up!
 
The Walt Tour Part 1

On Saturday, February 4th, 2017 we were scheduled to take The Walt Tour through the Anaheim Tour Company. Here’s a link to the web site if you would like more information on their tours.


Anaheim Tour Company



I found the company through a Disneyland TR on the DIS and sent a link to Mom, John and Jocelyn as a suggestion of something to do on one of our non-park days. Mom and Jocelyn wanted to do the Combo Tour and John and I wanted to do The Walt Tour. In the end, John and I won out with the promise to do some of the other stuff on the Combo Tour on our own the next day.

Our tour guide was to pick us up at 8:30 am out in front of our hotel so we were up early, had breakfast and then waited at the designated spot. Our guide Tom was about 10 minutes late but he picked up another family at Paradise Pier first and they were late getting to their pick up spot. The other family had 4 members, Mom, Dad and 2 daughters so there were a total of 8 on our tour. That’s the max for the tour as the van we were in only seated 8 plus the driver. I will say that the other family was a bit odd (or was it us?) and our efforts to start conversations with them fell mostly flat.

Our first stop was at the Garden Grove Historical Society’s Stanley Ranch Museum.




This outdoor museum houses old historical buildings that have been moved to the property.



Among the buildings there is this small nondescript garage which just happens to be Walt’s very first studio when he came to California in 1923. It was originally owned by and located at his Uncle Robert Disney’s house. Walt stayed with his uncle when he first moved to CA.



The Disney family does not even acknowledge this as Walt’s first studio since he barely used it before moving on to a rented space on Kingswell Street. But in the 1980s a group of Disney enthusiasts bought the garage and had it moved to the Stanley Ranch Museum.

We were allowed to go in and look around. There were several display cases with Disney memorabilia in them.















In one corner was the small dark room that Walt had built.



Our guide was very willing to take pictures of us at all the locations so I will be showing you those as we go along.







As part of the tour, we were able to purchase a book at a discounted rate that was about how the barn was discovered and moved to its current location. I purchased a copy but have yet to read it. I need to get a move on it because Mom and John both want to read it too.



Our next stop was very brief and was mainly to get a glimpse of the Hollywood sign. We were on a busy street and kept having to dart in and out of traffic while getting these photos.







Our next stop was the Pantages Theater and the Walk of Fame. The Pantages is where the Academy Award Ceremony was hosted from 1949 through 1959. And of course Walt won several Oscars during that time period.









We loaded back up in the van and drove further up Hollywood Blvd to see Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. As we were driving, our guide pointed out a museum called The Museum of Broken Relationships. Tom said he had no idea what that museum was all about but he thought it sounded interesting. I got pretty excited because I did know what it was about and so I told him. I had actually seen that very museum on an episode of the Bachelor a few weeks prior to our trip (yes I have a guilty pleasure). The museum is basically a place where people can donate items along with a story that symbolize a broken relationship. Some of the stories are quite fascinating. Here’s a link to the web site if you are interested.

Museum of Broken Relationships

Anyways, Tom was duly impressed (or just acted like it) and said now he could tell his future tours what it was all about.

He dropped us about a block from the Chinese Theater right in front of a very large touristy junk store because they had bathrooms that we could use. He told us to meet him back at the same spot in about 30 minutes. As we were getting out, I went to put on my sunglasses and realized that they had broken. Of course it was one of the very few sunny days we had during our time in CA and I really needed a pair. I had a second pair with me on the trip but they were back in our room which didn’t help me at all. So after a quick bathroom stop, I ran around the huge store and found a rack of sunglasses. I expected to pay through the roof for them but they turned out to be only $8. So now I present to you my “Hollywood” sunglasses.




And because I made a purchase, I got two free fabulous Hollywood pins. I know you are really jealous of these!



New sunglasses acquired, we moved on towards the theater. I found Mickey Mouse along the way.



I will say that I did not enjoy our time at the Chinese Theater at all. There were just way too many panhandlers and they were super aggressive trying to get money from the tourists. As an introvert who hates confrontations, this was one of my worst nightmares. There were “rap stars” handing out CDs then demanding a donation for them and tons of people dressed in costumes, demanding money for a picture with them. After taking the next few photos, we moved on down the street to get away from them.





Continued in Next Post
 

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